ALBUM REVIEW:
Jim Breuer and the Loud and Rowdy
Songs from the Garage
May 2016

When you hear the name Jim Breuer, if all you think of is Goat Boy or Half Baked, you may be surprised to hear that he’s releasing an album. Not a comedy album, but a hard rock album. There are of course humorous elements to the songs, but Songs from the Garage, the debut album from Jim Breuer and the Loud and Rowdy, is a great album featuring some solid rocking songs.

As a die-hard Metallica fan, I’ve been aware of Breuer’s connection to the heavy metal community for a while. He does great impressions not just of Metallica singer James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, but also impressions of Ozzy Osbourne, former AC/DC singer Brian Johnson, Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, and more. Breuer has been closely connected to Metallica, having hosted events at their 30th anniversary bash in 2011 in San Francisco, as well as being involved in their Orion Festival in 2012. I saw an early incarnation of not-yet-named Loud and Rowdy at Orion Festival, and the set had a mix of Breuer’s stand-up comedy, as well as some funny songs that he’d had in his set for years.

Fast forward to the beginning of 2016, when Jim Breuer launched a new podcast, titled “The Metal in Me.” I instantly decided to give it a listen, and was surprised when it wasn’t just him doing the podcast, but a group of guys who make up his band. Over the last 22 weeks, in between interviews and funny bits, I’ve heard them talking about the making of this album, so I was excited when I finally got to give it a listen.

It didn’t disappoint!

The album was produced by Volbeat/former-Anthrax guitar player Rob Caggiano. Caggiano also handled guitar duties on the album, rounded up by a solid rhythm section of Joe Vigliotti on bass and Mike Tichy on drums.

The first track, “Thrash” really sets the tone of the album. It’s a song about waiting for your family to get out of the house, so that you can crank up the music and rock out. Throughout the album, a lot of the lyrical themes show that it’s an album written by a middle-aged father, with songs like “Raising Teenage Girls,” “Family Warrior” and “Sugar Rush.” Of course a lot of the audience for 80’s thrash-metal are middle-aged fathers now, so it works.

Former AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson makes a pair of appearances on the album. First, on the short track “My Rock and Roll Dream,” he tells a story about how he wanted to be a comedian, while Caggiano plays a bluesy riff in the background. The next track, “Mr. Rock and Roll,” is much more of what you’d expect from a Brian Johnson guest-spot. The guitar riffs are very AC/DC influenced, and Johnson and Breuer take turns belting out lyrics. Who would have thought one day we’d be listening to a duet between these two? Certainly not I, but Breuer really holds his own against one of hard rock’s classic voices.

Another of my favorites is the final track, “The Unexplained.” It threw me off at first, as the intro is used as the theme song to Breuer’s podcast, but it turned out to be a really great tune.

Anybody who’s a fan of classic heavy metal bands, many of whom are name-checked in “Old School,” should definitely give this album a listen!

Jim Breuer and the Loud and Rowdy – Songs From The Garage
1) Thrash
2) Raising Teenage Girls
3) Old School
4) Be a Dick 2nite
5) My Rock n Roll Dream
6) Mr. Rock n Roll
7) Who’s Better Than Us?!
8) Family Warrior
9) Sugar Rush
10) Wannabe
11) The Unexplained
ALBUM RATING: 8/10